Sonia Gandhi to meet Opposition leaders this weekend
NEW DELHI: Congress president Sonia Gandhi is likely to preside over a meeting of Opposition parties in New Delhi on Thursday or Friday to discuss the need to field a joint candidate for the presidential polls.
Congress sources said party representatives and leaders of other Opposition parties held a meeting on Monday and decided to call a meeting of like-minded parties. Apart from the Congress brass, leaders of JDU, Trinamool Congress, RJD, NCP, DMK, CPM, CPI, BSP, SP, JMM, RLD, NC etc are likely to attend the meeting. The opposition parties are of the view that if the Government is not ready to have a consensus with Opposition on a second term for President Pranab Mukherjee, they will forced to enter into a contest by fielding a joint Opposition candidate.
Sonia Gandhi has already held discussions with prominent Opposition leaders such as Mamata Banerjee, Nitish Kumar, Sharad Yadav, Sitaram Yechury and Sharad Pawar.
Congress sources said party representatives and leaders of other Opposition parties held a meeting on Monday and decided to call a meeting of like-minded parties. Apart from the Congress brass, leaders of JDU, Trinamool Congress, RJD, NCP, DMK, CPM, CPI, BSP, SP, JMM, RLD, NC etc are likely to attend the meeting. The opposition parties are of the view that if the Government is not ready to have a consensus with Opposition on a second term for President Pranab Mukherjee, they will forced to enter into a contest by fielding a joint Opposition candidate.
Sonia Gandhi has already held discussions with prominent Opposition leaders such as Mamata Banerjee, Nitish Kumar, Sharad Yadav, Sitaram Yechury and Sharad Pawar.